Animals | Science News for Students

Animals

a microscopic image of Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae

This parasitic roundworm causes rat lungworm disease.

DPDx/CDC

Health
 
Sep 18, 2018
Parasitic worms sicken people in the mainland United States
860_CJ_mosquitoes.png

Too many mosquitoes might send some people running the opposite direction. But these scientists get close — to learn more about them.

mirceax/iStockPhoto

Animals
 
Sep 6, 2018
Cool Jobs: Sucking up science with mosquitoes
fountains of lava erupt behind palm trees at night

At around 8:45 p.m. on May 5, a new fissure from Kilauea began sputtering lava in this residential neighborhood. Within 15 minutes, fountains of molten rock were spewing up to heights of 70 meters (230 feet).

U.S. Geological Survey

Earth
 
Sep 4, 2018
Nine big stories you may have missed this summer
a photo of a penguin colony, the crowd of penguins can be seen all the way to the horizon

This is a picture of the largest colony of king penguins in 1982. It once hosted some 500,000 pairs of breeding birds each season. Recently discovered losses, though, are so big they could affect the species’ total population.

J.C. Stahl

Animals
 
Aug 29, 2018
Where did all of those king penguins go?
an underwater image from the movie showing a megalodon shark swimming past a person in a clear polycarbonate cage

In this image from The Meg, a megalodon shark swims past a polycarbonate “cage” containing a biological oceanographer, played by Li Bingbing. 

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Animals
 
Aug 22, 2018
What ‘The Meg’ doesn't quite get right about megalodon sharks
a young koala rides piggyback on an adult koala hanging on a tree

Scientists have mapped koalas’ genetic code. They hope its lessons will save these animals.

Robyn Cox/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Genetics
 
Aug 13, 2018
Koala genes could help scientists save these furry animals
an illustration of a newly discovered giant long-necked sauropod called Ingentia prima

Some early relatives of giant long-necked sauropods may have used an unexpected biological approach to grow to such a large size. This illustration shows how a newly described species, called Ingentia prima, may have looked.

Jorge A. González

Fossils
 
Aug 7, 2018
There’s more than one way to build a giant dinosaur
a spider in a tiptoe stance getting ready to take flight

Before ballooning into the breeze, spiders stand on their tiptoes (as here) and let out silk threads. New research suggests electric fields might help spiders decide when to fly.

MICHAEL HUTCHINSON

Animals
 
Jul 30, 2018
Electric currents in the air may cue ‘ballooning’ spiders on when to take off
a giant clam with blue and green frills embedded in a coral reef

Showy blue and green frills are the only visible parts of this giant clam. It traps itself for life inside the rocky mass of a reef by a process that’s been misunderstood for decades.

Nhobgood/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Animals
 
Jul 27, 2018
Here’s how a clam can hide within a rock
A photo of an Asian common toad

The skin of the Asian common toad is laced with a natural poison. This species is now spreading across the island of Madagascar. Predators are not likely to keep the invaders in check, a new study finds. Only one appears immune to the toad’s deadly toxin.

Benjamin Marshall

Genetics
 
Jul 26, 2018
Toxic toads pose threat to Madagascar’s predators